menimmigration
07-19 11:32 AM
BMSI,
My lawyer filed her I-485 on July 16'th and the application was delivered on July 17'th , We got to know about the approval from the USCIS website on July 18'th On July 16'th,17'th atleast till 9:00 PM EST status said My Case is Pending approval
Till now I hav'nt got any physical notice (Lawyers confirmed the same)
My lawyer filed her I-485 on July 16'th and the application was delivered on July 17'th , We got to know about the approval from the USCIS website on July 18'th On July 16'th,17'th atleast till 9:00 PM EST status said My Case is Pending approval
Till now I hav'nt got any physical notice (Lawyers confirmed the same)
wallpaper Alex Pettyfer Age 14.
sirinme
12-02 02:38 PM
Not sure if I can make it in person, but I will contribute $100. This is on top of my monthly contribution.
styrum
10-26 10:05 PM
I got this as a real paper letter. The signature is a picture, of course, not real.
No surprise here. We are not even a part of immigration reform for him.:mad:
So in this standard reply "about immigration reform" we are not even mentioned.
EDWARD M. KENNEDY
MASSACHUSETTS
Uinited States
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-2101
October 9, 2007
Dear Mr. :
Thank you for contacting me about immigration reform. This is a complex issue, with many important aspects, and it requires a comprehensive solution. 12 million undocumented workers are now living in the United States. They're working, paying taxes, and raising children who are U.S. citizens if they are born here. They contribute to our economy, and it is time to bring them out of the shadows and end their unfair exploitation by unscrupulous employers in communities across the country.
Funds for border enforcement have increased dramatically over the years. The budget for the Border Patrol has increased from $263 million in 1990 to $1.6 billion today - a six-fold increase. Yet each year during this period, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have continued to enter the U.S. illegally. Our immigration laws are clearly broken, and stronger border enforcement alone will not fix them.
Long and thorough negotiations with the White House and fellow Senators, Republican and Democrat, led to the drafting of a comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform bill this year. It contained important provisions to strengthen border security, but it also contained needed provisions imposing higher penalties on businesses that employ undocumented immigrants, a temporary worker program to help American businesses meet their employment needs, and provisions to address the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States by allowing them to obtain legal status after undergoing background checks, paying a fine, and going to the back of the line for green cards. The bill was a realistic and comprehensive solution that would not only protect our borders, but also enable needed temporary workers to enter the country legally, and allow workers already here to become legal.
Unfortunately, this needed legislation has now stalled in the Senate, which is enormously disappointing for Congress and the country. But the battle is far from over. I'm in it for the long haul, and Fm certain that, in the end, we will prevail. Ignoring the problem will not solve it. We cannot afford to do nothing, especially in this post-9/11 era. By heritage and history, America is a nation of immigrants, and we must preserve this tradition. I will continue to fight to reform our immigration laws, so that our borders are secure and immigrant families can continue to live the American dream.
Again, thank you for writing to me about this important issue.
Sincerely,
Edward M. Kennedy
No surprise here. We are not even a part of immigration reform for him.:mad:
So in this standard reply "about immigration reform" we are not even mentioned.
EDWARD M. KENNEDY
MASSACHUSETTS
Uinited States
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-2101
October 9, 2007
Dear Mr. :
Thank you for contacting me about immigration reform. This is a complex issue, with many important aspects, and it requires a comprehensive solution. 12 million undocumented workers are now living in the United States. They're working, paying taxes, and raising children who are U.S. citizens if they are born here. They contribute to our economy, and it is time to bring them out of the shadows and end their unfair exploitation by unscrupulous employers in communities across the country.
Funds for border enforcement have increased dramatically over the years. The budget for the Border Patrol has increased from $263 million in 1990 to $1.6 billion today - a six-fold increase. Yet each year during this period, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have continued to enter the U.S. illegally. Our immigration laws are clearly broken, and stronger border enforcement alone will not fix them.
Long and thorough negotiations with the White House and fellow Senators, Republican and Democrat, led to the drafting of a comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform bill this year. It contained important provisions to strengthen border security, but it also contained needed provisions imposing higher penalties on businesses that employ undocumented immigrants, a temporary worker program to help American businesses meet their employment needs, and provisions to address the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States by allowing them to obtain legal status after undergoing background checks, paying a fine, and going to the back of the line for green cards. The bill was a realistic and comprehensive solution that would not only protect our borders, but also enable needed temporary workers to enter the country legally, and allow workers already here to become legal.
Unfortunately, this needed legislation has now stalled in the Senate, which is enormously disappointing for Congress and the country. But the battle is far from over. I'm in it for the long haul, and Fm certain that, in the end, we will prevail. Ignoring the problem will not solve it. We cannot afford to do nothing, especially in this post-9/11 era. By heritage and history, America is a nation of immigrants, and we must preserve this tradition. I will continue to fight to reform our immigration laws, so that our borders are secure and immigrant families can continue to live the American dream.
Again, thank you for writing to me about this important issue.
Sincerely,
Edward M. Kennedy
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bluez25
07-16 01:58 AM
i guess I am going to be in trouble in case I have to get a new PCC. I will try and get a new one when I reach India. Also update to my status is that chennai consulate has sent a letter to my local address in India about the interview appointment date.
more...
mrdelhiite
08-07 09:30 AM
I have already filed on July 2nd.
i am sending my spouse's in the next few days.
I am doing:
i-485 - $ 325 + $70
i-131 - $170
i-765 - $180
using FEDEX delivery
to the following address:
Texas Service Center
4141 North St. Augustine Road
Dallas, TX 75227
If anyone think that I am wrong, please correct me.
Can you share the list of docs u are adding to her application ? Also where are u based and is there a reason why u selected TX ?
-M
i am sending my spouse's in the next few days.
I am doing:
i-485 - $ 325 + $70
i-131 - $170
i-765 - $180
using FEDEX delivery
to the following address:
Texas Service Center
4141 North St. Augustine Road
Dallas, TX 75227
If anyone think that I am wrong, please correct me.
Can you share the list of docs u are adding to her application ? Also where are u based and is there a reason why u selected TX ?
-M
H1B2GC
10-01 10:39 AM
Here are my thoughts, I-485 application is accepted by USCIS based on priority date set by DOS in order to distribute available visa per country violating the basics "All men should be treated equally".
Remember, the rules are made by the system not for itself.
Remember, the rules are made by the system not for itself.
more...
bp333
02-19 10:50 AM
We (me, my wife and my son) are submitted 485 applications on July 7th to Nebraska service center latter they transferred to Vermont from there it again transferred to Taxes Service. Unfortunately I forgot to write the amount in wordings in my wife's 485 application check so they rejected my wife's application on Oct 9th, they enclosed the letter to re submit the application by using the new fee. We re submitted on Oct 15th by enclose the two checks $325 and $1010 along with the covering letter and the letter what they are given.
Again they rejected the application in Dec 12th by mentioning Visa number is not available for this application. That time my attorney is not there He went to India so no body inform to me. He came back on Jan 28th we re submitted again by explaining all the details, but they reject on Feb 14th mentioning the same reason Visa Number is not available.
I have seen so many people are got their receipt numbers if they re submitted the application for any mistakes. Me my son got the receipt numbers and Fingerprint every thing.
My Attorney is telling we need to wait for PD current. Mine is PD for EB2 India 6/6.
My wife doesn't get her receipt 485 number I am not able to use my EAD.
Can any body suggest how to approach this case? Or is any one face same issue.
Thanks.
If its rejected due to "missing or incorrect fee" you can send the package back with a special cover letter to by-pass the mail room. The letter has to say something in the lines of: "Attention CRU Supervisor, case improperly rejected due to fee".. search for these in google. You will find a template.
Mine was rejected for the same and Supervisor accepted my refile.
Good luck.
Again they rejected the application in Dec 12th by mentioning Visa number is not available for this application. That time my attorney is not there He went to India so no body inform to me. He came back on Jan 28th we re submitted again by explaining all the details, but they reject on Feb 14th mentioning the same reason Visa Number is not available.
I have seen so many people are got their receipt numbers if they re submitted the application for any mistakes. Me my son got the receipt numbers and Fingerprint every thing.
My Attorney is telling we need to wait for PD current. Mine is PD for EB2 India 6/6.
My wife doesn't get her receipt 485 number I am not able to use my EAD.
Can any body suggest how to approach this case? Or is any one face same issue.
Thanks.
If its rejected due to "missing or incorrect fee" you can send the package back with a special cover letter to by-pass the mail room. The letter has to say something in the lines of: "Attention CRU Supervisor, case improperly rejected due to fee".. search for these in google. You will find a template.
Mine was rejected for the same and Supervisor accepted my refile.
Good luck.
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gcganapati
08-16 12:29 PM
PA dmv sucks..dont worry ...try next day or evening in the same time form diffrent officer...they are some time stupid and they don't know what they are talking..
Take all necessary documents try more times..some officers gives some dont..becuase some of my friend has same issue..they got it...from diffrent officers...dont worry
Take all necessary documents try more times..some officers gives some dont..becuase some of my friend has same issue..they got it...from diffrent officers...dont worry
more...
pani_6
08-23 10:49 AM
People who have gotten thier Gc approved recently...by getting pre-approved..LC's applying in e2-rir even though they do not qualify in EB2.people who did MS from top schools and stayed with good companies are in e2/ e3 categories are in BEC.....What an irony..
Is there any use in comming here as a student?? anymore..
Is there any use in comming here as a student?? anymore..
hair Alex Pettyfer
sujijag
03-11 06:33 PM
If someone does this - its fraud, if they do it themselves - its legitimate.
Seek Lawyer's help, asking such qns in forums only creates backlash ;)
Seek Lawyer's help, asking such qns in forums only creates backlash ;)
more...
rangakutta
02-10 11:56 AM
I have a masters in Electrical engineering. And my job duties is system administration or say system analyst.
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sledge_hammer
02-09 03:44 PM
Please keep this thread alive ...
more...
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Tshelar
01-02 02:11 PM
The consulate usually do need more info if you work for Pharmaceucatical or Biotech company. I work for a Pharmaecutical company and when I had gone for my Visa interview they were very specific to ask me if my work deals in any kind of research in chemicals etc. Since I work in the IT department and has nothing to do with reasearch they did not ask for any more info.
I think your wife should be fine if she furnishes the info that they need.
I think your wife should be fine if she furnishes the info that they need.
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glus
03-19 11:29 AM
If you have left your I-140 company, that I-140 is dead. No wonder you have not heard back. It's not pending, it's cancelled. I-140 is employer based and therefore if USCIS said they were not satisfied with place of work, which reads: not enough income for the company to be able to pay you the salary declared in the I140 app. If you did not reply to their show-cause within the time frame stated, your I-140 application is deemed abandoned.
This is not true. I140 can be approved even after one leaves the company. I140 is only a "check" that the person i qualified and a company able to pay a "FUTURE OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT." Please do not post untrue statements unless your are absolutely sure. He can work in CA and have a 140 approved in NY, and move to NY when his Priority Date becomes current.
I140 is only dead if a company request to withdraw I140 petition before it is approved. If his I140 is "pending" it is not dead.
This is not true. I140 can be approved even after one leaves the company. I140 is only a "check" that the person i qualified and a company able to pay a "FUTURE OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT." Please do not post untrue statements unless your are absolutely sure. He can work in CA and have a 140 approved in NY, and move to NY when his Priority Date becomes current.
I140 is only dead if a company request to withdraw I140 petition before it is approved. If his I140 is "pending" it is not dead.
more...
pictures Alex Pettyfer
gc_wannabe
06-16 11:05 PM
Hi- When I started off with the green card process, I had not idea about what most of the things meant. I joined a very reputable Fortune 500 company in 2006 (the same year I came to the US on a H1B), and started my GC process in 2007. The company offered me an pre-approved labor with a 2006 PD, which had a matching requirement w.r.t job description and salary.
During July 2007, i filed for my I-140 and I-485. Subsequently, my I-140 got approved without any issues. Now, given that my priority date is close to being current (2/14/2006), I'm afraid if using a pre-approved labor will have any role to play with my I-485 approval.
And no, I'm not working for a consultant. And I have been with the same employer since 2006.
Please don't start off with the jumping the queue argument. When I used the labor substitution, it was perfectly legal, and didn't even know what a priority date is :-)
Thanks.
During July 2007, i filed for my I-140 and I-485. Subsequently, my I-140 got approved without any issues. Now, given that my priority date is close to being current (2/14/2006), I'm afraid if using a pre-approved labor will have any role to play with my I-485 approval.
And no, I'm not working for a consultant. And I have been with the same employer since 2006.
Please don't start off with the jumping the queue argument. When I used the labor substitution, it was perfectly legal, and didn't even know what a priority date is :-)
Thanks.
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gc_wow
10-25 11:32 PM
I would like to see the new inventory of pending 485s after the september approvals, I am not sure when uscis would release such information.
more...
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paskal
12-26 02:58 PM
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
girlfriend alex pettyfer photos.
bijualex29
08-14 02:54 PM
This is purley an example of Mailroom confusion.
You may be able to resend it clearly explaining the Mail room error.
It is best to avoid this kind of confusion. This Mail room people are not trained well to calculate or think like you and me are thinking.
You might have seen the cashier at walmart. If you buy worth of 20$ and you give 50$. They need calculator to figure it our how much to return.
You may be able to resend it clearly explaining the Mail room error.
It is best to avoid this kind of confusion. This Mail room people are not trained well to calculate or think like you and me are thinking.
You might have seen the cashier at walmart. If you buy worth of 20$ and you give 50$. They need calculator to figure it our how much to return.
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jasonalbany
07-04 12:28 PM
Access to Job Market in U.S. a Matter of Degrees
Foreign workers with high-tech skills are in demand, but visa quotas snarl the hiring process.
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2006
This spring, a U.S. high-tech company recruited British citizen Gareth Lloyd for a possible engineering job.
But before the Irvine office made its hiring decision, the number of available visas for skilled workers ran out, in a record time of less than two months.
Lloyd, who has degrees in applied physics and electrical and electronics engineering, found another job in Germany.
"I was a little bit incredulous," Lloyd, 34, said in a phone interview. "It seems arbitrary to put some kind of quota on this."
Much of the national debate on immigration has centered on undocumented workers who fill agriculture, construction and service jobs. But highly skilled foreign scientists, engineers and computer programmers recruited by U.S. companies to work here legally also have a lot at stake in the outcome. "The major focus for all the laws and all the bills has mainly been for illegal immigrants," said Swati Srivastava, an Indian software engineer who lives in Playa del Rey and is waiting for her green card. "We kind of get pushed to the sidelines."
The Senate's sweeping immigration bill that passed in May calls for increasing the number of H-1B visas, which are available for professional foreign workers, from 65,000 to 115,000 annually. Foreigners with certain advanced degrees would be exempt from the cap.
Despite President Bush's urging to increase such quotas, however, the House bill that passed late last year does not include any provisions for skilled-worker visas. And a conference committee, which would negotiate a compromise, has yet to be selected. U.S. companies complain that they are losing prospective employees to other countries because of a shortage of highly skilled and educated foreign workers. As a result, companies are either outsourcing science and engineering jobs or making do with fewer employees.
"There aren't enough U.S. citizens pursuing those types of degrees," said Jennifer Greeson, spokeswoman for Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif., where about 5% of the company's U.S.-based employees are on H-1B visas. "U.S. companies being able to have access to talent, no matter where it originates, is key to our continued competitiveness."
But critics of the H-1B program argue that there are enough Americans qualified for the jobs. Companies just prefer to hire younger, less expensive workers from other countries, such as India and China, instead of more experienced American workers at higher salaries.
"The bottom line is cheap labor," said UC Davis computer-science professor Norman Matloff, who has studied the H-1B program.
The six-year visas are available to foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree. Firms must pay foreign workers the prevailing wage.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 each year. The agency received enough visas to hit the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 at the end of May this year, compared with August in 2005 and October in 2004. Those who receive the visas can begin work Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
There are also 20,000 additional visas available for foreign workers who earned a master's or higher-level degree in the U.S. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is still accepting applications for those visas.
Because the H-1B cap is reached more quickly each year, many companies prepare their paperwork ahead of time so they can be at the front of the line. But they say it's often difficult to make hiring decisions six months before the start date.
Orange County immigration attorney Mitchell Wexler has a courier ready on the first day to take his clients' completed applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"The whole white-collar business community is kind of crossing our fingers" that the number of visas is raised, Wexler said. Highly skilled foreign workers, he said, are "the best and brightest" and should be invited into the economy.
"If we can't get them," Wexler added, "they will go to a country that will accept them, and they will get jobs in Canada, Australia and England and will compete against us."
One of Wexler's clients, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions, develops and manufactures integrated circuits for cellphones. Connie Williams, senior human resources specialist at the company's Irvine office, said her firm was effectively cut off from a foreign labor pool that included Lloyd of Britain when the government stopped accepting H-1B applications.
Williams said she worries that if Congress fails to pass reform legislation, the door will slam shut even earlier next year. The company has just over 2,000 U.S.-based employees, roughly 100 of whom have H-1B visas.
"We need these highly skilled, highly educated, highly qualified engineers," said Williams. "These people are a needle in a haystack."
Once foreigners have H-1B visas, they face another hurdle � becoming permanent legal residents. Applicants are often forced to wait years because there are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available annually. A backlog at Citizenship and Immigration Services adds to the delays.
Swati and Aradhana Srivastava, 34, both Indian software engineers working in the U.S. on H-1B visas, began the green card process with their employer in November 2001. Since then, the sisters said they have not been able to change jobs, positions or salaries.
They have taken film classes and are eager to pursue second careers in filmmaking but cannot do so until after they get their green cards. They also are reluctant to buy property or start a business. If they don't get their green cards by the time they finish film school, the sisters may return home.
"It's like living in a holding pattern continuously," said Swati Srivastava, 28, a member of Immigration Voice, a new grass-roots organization of skilled foreign workers pushing for immigration reform. The Internet-based group formed late last year and has about 5,000 members scattered around the country.
"We work in [the] U.S. legally in high-skilled jobs, but we still get penalized for playing by the rules," Immigration Voice co-founder Aman Kapoor said in an e-mail. "Since no one was working on our issues, we decided to organize."
Sandy Boyd, vice president of the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said there is an urgency to fixing the problems facing highly skilled foreign workers, whether they're seeking temporary or permanent legal status. The Senate's proposed immigration bill would increase the number of available employment-based green cards.
If compromise legislation cannot be reached on the broader issues, Boyd said, Congress should pass a separate, more narrow reform bill.
"This is not an issue that can be put off until comprehensive immigration reform is passed," Boyd said, "because once we lose these jobs, it's very difficult for them to come back."
But industry lobbyists arguing against increases in H-1B visas say the program hurts U.S. citizens by lowering wages and increasing job competition. They cite a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that says the program lacks sufficient oversight from the Department of Labor.
"We feel for the most part there are not shortages of U.S. engineers and computer scientists that have the skills these companies are looking for," said Chris McManes, spokesman for the U.S. sector of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "If the cap is increased, that will further hamper the ability of a U.S. engineer to find a job."
David Huber, a network engineer in Chicago and U.S. citizen by birth, said he twice lost out on jobs to foreign workers. He was passed over for one job and replaced at another, he said. Huber, who testified before the House in March, said he could not find work for nearly three years, despite his education and experience. "Too many of us cannot find jobs because companies are turning to H-1B workers as a first choice," Huber said in written testimony to the House.
Swadha Sharma, who lives in Arcadia, said she is not trying to replace U.S. workers. Sharma earned an electronics engineering degree in India but has long dreamed of becoming a math teacher. So while her husband worked here on an H-1B visa, she earned her teaching credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sharma, 30, started applying for teaching jobs early this year, but she said only one of three interested districts was willing to sponsor her for an H-1B visa. And that offer, from a Los Angeles charter school, came after the visa cap had been reached. Sharma now plans to pursue a master's degree but said the U.S. is "missing out on a catch."
"I am really qualified," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to teach soon."
As for Lloyd, his plans to come to the United States are now on indefinite hold. He started his job in Germany but still laments the U.S. immigration system for limiting workers like himself from coming here.
"The H-1B scheme seems a little bit ridiculous," he said. "I would certainly be an asset to the American economy."
Foreign workers with high-tech skills are in demand, but visa quotas snarl the hiring process.
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2006
This spring, a U.S. high-tech company recruited British citizen Gareth Lloyd for a possible engineering job.
But before the Irvine office made its hiring decision, the number of available visas for skilled workers ran out, in a record time of less than two months.
Lloyd, who has degrees in applied physics and electrical and electronics engineering, found another job in Germany.
"I was a little bit incredulous," Lloyd, 34, said in a phone interview. "It seems arbitrary to put some kind of quota on this."
Much of the national debate on immigration has centered on undocumented workers who fill agriculture, construction and service jobs. But highly skilled foreign scientists, engineers and computer programmers recruited by U.S. companies to work here legally also have a lot at stake in the outcome. "The major focus for all the laws and all the bills has mainly been for illegal immigrants," said Swati Srivastava, an Indian software engineer who lives in Playa del Rey and is waiting for her green card. "We kind of get pushed to the sidelines."
The Senate's sweeping immigration bill that passed in May calls for increasing the number of H-1B visas, which are available for professional foreign workers, from 65,000 to 115,000 annually. Foreigners with certain advanced degrees would be exempt from the cap.
Despite President Bush's urging to increase such quotas, however, the House bill that passed late last year does not include any provisions for skilled-worker visas. And a conference committee, which would negotiate a compromise, has yet to be selected. U.S. companies complain that they are losing prospective employees to other countries because of a shortage of highly skilled and educated foreign workers. As a result, companies are either outsourcing science and engineering jobs or making do with fewer employees.
"There aren't enough U.S. citizens pursuing those types of degrees," said Jennifer Greeson, spokeswoman for Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif., where about 5% of the company's U.S.-based employees are on H-1B visas. "U.S. companies being able to have access to talent, no matter where it originates, is key to our continued competitiveness."
But critics of the H-1B program argue that there are enough Americans qualified for the jobs. Companies just prefer to hire younger, less expensive workers from other countries, such as India and China, instead of more experienced American workers at higher salaries.
"The bottom line is cheap labor," said UC Davis computer-science professor Norman Matloff, who has studied the H-1B program.
The six-year visas are available to foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree. Firms must pay foreign workers the prevailing wage.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 each year. The agency received enough visas to hit the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 at the end of May this year, compared with August in 2005 and October in 2004. Those who receive the visas can begin work Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
There are also 20,000 additional visas available for foreign workers who earned a master's or higher-level degree in the U.S. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is still accepting applications for those visas.
Because the H-1B cap is reached more quickly each year, many companies prepare their paperwork ahead of time so they can be at the front of the line. But they say it's often difficult to make hiring decisions six months before the start date.
Orange County immigration attorney Mitchell Wexler has a courier ready on the first day to take his clients' completed applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"The whole white-collar business community is kind of crossing our fingers" that the number of visas is raised, Wexler said. Highly skilled foreign workers, he said, are "the best and brightest" and should be invited into the economy.
"If we can't get them," Wexler added, "they will go to a country that will accept them, and they will get jobs in Canada, Australia and England and will compete against us."
One of Wexler's clients, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions, develops and manufactures integrated circuits for cellphones. Connie Williams, senior human resources specialist at the company's Irvine office, said her firm was effectively cut off from a foreign labor pool that included Lloyd of Britain when the government stopped accepting H-1B applications.
Williams said she worries that if Congress fails to pass reform legislation, the door will slam shut even earlier next year. The company has just over 2,000 U.S.-based employees, roughly 100 of whom have H-1B visas.
"We need these highly skilled, highly educated, highly qualified engineers," said Williams. "These people are a needle in a haystack."
Once foreigners have H-1B visas, they face another hurdle � becoming permanent legal residents. Applicants are often forced to wait years because there are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available annually. A backlog at Citizenship and Immigration Services adds to the delays.
Swati and Aradhana Srivastava, 34, both Indian software engineers working in the U.S. on H-1B visas, began the green card process with their employer in November 2001. Since then, the sisters said they have not been able to change jobs, positions or salaries.
They have taken film classes and are eager to pursue second careers in filmmaking but cannot do so until after they get their green cards. They also are reluctant to buy property or start a business. If they don't get their green cards by the time they finish film school, the sisters may return home.
"It's like living in a holding pattern continuously," said Swati Srivastava, 28, a member of Immigration Voice, a new grass-roots organization of skilled foreign workers pushing for immigration reform. The Internet-based group formed late last year and has about 5,000 members scattered around the country.
"We work in [the] U.S. legally in high-skilled jobs, but we still get penalized for playing by the rules," Immigration Voice co-founder Aman Kapoor said in an e-mail. "Since no one was working on our issues, we decided to organize."
Sandy Boyd, vice president of the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said there is an urgency to fixing the problems facing highly skilled foreign workers, whether they're seeking temporary or permanent legal status. The Senate's proposed immigration bill would increase the number of available employment-based green cards.
If compromise legislation cannot be reached on the broader issues, Boyd said, Congress should pass a separate, more narrow reform bill.
"This is not an issue that can be put off until comprehensive immigration reform is passed," Boyd said, "because once we lose these jobs, it's very difficult for them to come back."
But industry lobbyists arguing against increases in H-1B visas say the program hurts U.S. citizens by lowering wages and increasing job competition. They cite a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that says the program lacks sufficient oversight from the Department of Labor.
"We feel for the most part there are not shortages of U.S. engineers and computer scientists that have the skills these companies are looking for," said Chris McManes, spokesman for the U.S. sector of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "If the cap is increased, that will further hamper the ability of a U.S. engineer to find a job."
David Huber, a network engineer in Chicago and U.S. citizen by birth, said he twice lost out on jobs to foreign workers. He was passed over for one job and replaced at another, he said. Huber, who testified before the House in March, said he could not find work for nearly three years, despite his education and experience. "Too many of us cannot find jobs because companies are turning to H-1B workers as a first choice," Huber said in written testimony to the House.
Swadha Sharma, who lives in Arcadia, said she is not trying to replace U.S. workers. Sharma earned an electronics engineering degree in India but has long dreamed of becoming a math teacher. So while her husband worked here on an H-1B visa, she earned her teaching credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sharma, 30, started applying for teaching jobs early this year, but she said only one of three interested districts was willing to sponsor her for an H-1B visa. And that offer, from a Los Angeles charter school, came after the visa cap had been reached. Sharma now plans to pursue a master's degree but said the U.S. is "missing out on a catch."
"I am really qualified," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to teach soon."
As for Lloyd, his plans to come to the United States are now on indefinite hold. He started his job in Germany but still laments the U.S. immigration system for limiting workers like himself from coming here.
"The H-1B scheme seems a little bit ridiculous," he said. "I would certainly be an asset to the American economy."
Quest99
09-14 04:40 PM
It looks like a case of misunderstanding. Did you explain why you had the change of heart?. Explain your personal situation -like you are explaining here- with the pregnancy and commute time and doctors visits that are required every week?. I am not sure why a sane person wont understand the reasons why you decided not to join them. Further, if they do not understand, ask them if they have filed paperwork for H1?. If NO, then what is the claim of $3000 for?
I explained my situation (I told them everything I wrote here) to them, but they don't care to listen. I have asked for the sign of contract proof and after that so far no mails from them.
I explained my situation (I told them everything I wrote here) to them, but they don't care to listen. I have asked for the sign of contract proof and after that so far no mails from them.
keerthi
05-13 03:32 PM
Thanks again.
I will consider the L1-A during the re-filing. Any idea on how long it will take to get the petition approved if I re-file by this month?
The USCIS processing times indicate a 2 month backlog for I-129 petitions.
I will consider the L1-A during the re-filing. Any idea on how long it will take to get the petition approved if I re-file by this month?
The USCIS processing times indicate a 2 month backlog for I-129 petitions.
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